help please

[squeeker]

hi im new here would like a frontera sport around cheshire area if any one knows of a good one for sale as its time to trade my vectra in now the kids are older hurra now i can get some luxury and wont get stuck pulling caravan out in these summer months we have lol i mean rainy months lol

[bobbinsjob]

welcome to FOG mate. Have a look in the Frontys for sale section. Are you looking for a B series or an A series sport

[squeeker]

any series realy just after sporty 3 door having a try at my youth again lol

[squeeker]

found one in stoke for £1000 anything obvieus to look for oh my spelling forgive me

[Wolfie666]

Welcome to the madness of F.O.G.

[bobbinsjob]

Depends what model, year, mileage etc... For £1000 I would imagine you are looking at a B series Petrol, a battered B series diesel, or a very very nice A series

[squeeker]

would you say a series is the best want it as my daily comute they are getting very hard to find localy

[jammywagonwheel]

Hi,
And welcome to the Asylum of Fog, Nursey will be along with Medication shortly...

Things to look out for on A series (SWB & LWB)
Look for signs of things 'out of the ordinary'., if it looks too good to be true.. be suspicious.. its very easy to polish a car up with a bit of T-Cut, jetwash the engine bay to get the worst of the oil off and then bang it out on eBay. Your looking at a car thats quite old, and not in showroom condition.. receipts are always good - as are old MOT's (and tax discs - shows continuity.. if a disc ran out 3 months before the current one.. why was it off road? has it been PX'd / through the auctions.. does the car match the person / area you are buying from - usual stuff..

Front Diff on A series can be a bit weak, especially if 4WD is used on tarmac - BIG NO-NO!.. 4WD should only be used on slippery surfaces, also the rear diff cover can become porus.

Engine management light should go on when you turn the ignition on, and go out when you start the engine.

Bulkheads rarely develop splits where the pedal box mounts to it, if it does, its a b@lls-ache of a job.

The upper inner rear arches an a SWB where the 'roll bar' mounts to the arch (which isnt a roll bar, its a seatbelt mount) can get pinholed by rust, easy check - theres a pop out panel on the top of the plastic covers which can be accessed easily, pop the cover out and look for daylight.

Petrol & Diesel do not like having dirty fuel / air filters.. easy and cheap fix, also ICV valves can get a bit sticky, again an easy fix.

Look for water in the passenger footwell, the heater matrix's occasionally go pop.

Make sure all the electric windows / central locking / mirrors work, lights, indicators etc.

Play in steering 'wandering' could be as simple as dicky tyre pressures, or a loose steering column mount (tighten up 3 bolts)

Some models seem to have more of an issue with Head Gaskets than others, check for oil in the water, water in the oil and smell the expansion bottle once the car is up to temp (after a test drive), see if theres an exhaust fume smell.

Side steps get the worst of the road spray - and rust.. normally where you cant see it, pop your head underneath and have a nose

Have a look at the brake & clutch resevoirs, the fluid should be clear / treacle coloured, if its black, then it 'could' be the rubber inside the master cylinder(s) are beginning to perish, or more than likely, it hasnt been changed.

if you get a post 1st Sept 1995 (petrol) model, then emissions are 0.3%, pre 1995 (petrol) models are allowed 3.5% (no CAT required ) after 1st March 2001, you cannot use pattern catalytic converters, you can only use type approved (and more expensive) parts, so be aware of the year you are buying

Apart from that, they are pretty good, solid vehicles, easy to work on, plenty of help available on here, parts are pretty much 'off the shelf', and dont forget to check the wheel nuts before driving home.. one member on here didnt recently - and lost a wheel whilst driving.. thankfully no-one (apart from pride) was injured, but worth checking..

Most importantly - its a hell of a lot easier to walk away from one, than it is to put one right, theres always another one to look at, dont buy the 1st one you see.. unless it is an absolute peach!

If you get stuck, pop a post up and see if theres a member near to you that can come along for a look,

Fingers crossed for you - and dont forget to post pikkies..

John

[squeeker]

many thanks for the info will go and see 2 today will post pickies of my new toy thanks for all the info

[squeeker]

many thanks to tom i have just bought is rs sport now can join the madness of the frontera world